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Bixby Creek Bridge

This bridge is a favorite for car commercials and travel books. When I was a boyscout working at Camp Pico Blanco one summer a couple of other scouts and I hiked 26 miles to this bridge (no trails). Later when I lived in Big Sur I would cross this bridge at least 3 times a week going into town (Monterey).

I recently saw a program, probably on the history channel, about the building of highway 1 from SanFrancisco to points north. A good bit of time was spent highlighting this bridge, architecture and construction technique. That must have been some hike!

I recently saw a program, probably on the history channel, about the building of highway 1 from SanFrancisco to points north. A good bit of time was spent highlighting this bridge, architecture and construction technique. That must have been some hike!

Yeah, too bad I didn't have a (waterproof) camera at the time (1961). A GPS receiver, with topo maps, would have been handy as well. I was a 12 year old boyscout working the summer at Pico Blanco scout camp.

The story:

Starting at daybreak, on the Little Sur River, which runs through the camp, and then hiking over a ridge to Bixby Creek, most of the hike was spent following deer and pig trails or treking through, and along side the river beds, then fording the occasional granite walled water-fall. We were semi-lost most of the time, but had a compass and realized that all rivers eventually flow to the Pacific, so we just kept on truckin'.

Sandwitches, and candy bars, long gone we caught sight of Bixby Creek Bridge as the sun went down, and fog was rolling in. It was a welcome sight, and it has been a significant landmark in my life since.

By the time we hiked up Hwy 1 back to Palo Colorado Canyon (the road to the scout camp) it was 10pm and we were in quite a bit of hot water back at Pico Blanco. We were only checked out for a half day hike, and we had been gone since daybreak. They were getting ready to send out a search and rescue team at first light when we called.

Great fun, and adventure, but we spent the rest of the summer confined to the general camp area.

It was a great adventure. Maybe when I retire I'll retrace this trek, only this time with a GPS unit and an extra PB&J sandwich. I will probably need permission from the land owners this time as well...

... I'll let you know when this happens... and you can watch my rescue on the news.

As a point of reference, Bixby Creek is about 100 miles south of San Francisco, and about 20 miles north of Big Sur.

Trivia: Also on this stretch (just south of Point Lobos) is Malpaso creek bridge the name which Clint Eastwood adopted for his production company (Malpaso Productions).